Zetsche confirms new direction for small Benzes

Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Dr Dieter Zetsche, has confirmed the company will return to conventional platforms for the next generation of small cars.

In Australia for the 50th Anniversary of the brand Down Under, the Benz boss was unequivocal in his explanation that the company would move away from its complex 'sandwich' style construction for its next A and B-Class models. Instead, the cars will almost certainly feature conventional front-wheel drive architecture.

"We have decided that for the next generation [of A and B-Class] we will not continue with the sandwich platform concept for the simple reason that this is limiting our capability of [types of model] offerings in this segment, basically to the space segment, which the A and B-Classes are [currently] addressing," Zetsche told the Carsales Network.
 
"[In future] We would like to offer different kinds of cars in this segment as well, and that's why we will go to a new platform concept -- if you want a more traditional one... Still offering a vehicle that would be a very legitimate successor to the A and B-Class but not stopping there, having altogether four different body styles," Zetsche revealed.

Speculation has hatch, sedan, coupe/cabriolet and even a mini SUV lined up for the next generation of small Benzes, which will follow upgrade models pictured here in spy photos. And although Zetsche did not comment on specifics, he said the new body styles would allow the manufacturer to "address a younger customer base as well, at the same time going for higher volume".

"We just have to think about tomorrow as well. And it's not just the natural order that everybody growing older automatically buys Mercedes... We want to maintain and increase our appeal to young[er] customers and that means you have to have affordable offerings... The next generation of the A and B-Class is more in the range of affordability for younger [buyers] -- that's an average of like 40 years which is young for new car buyers...

"In this sense, the [current] A and B-Class is, of course, reaching further -- in fact it's not the kind of product which appeals in the first place to younger people, that's another reason that we need different body styles for this segment."

In preparation, for a wider A/B-Class portfolio and more volume Mercedes-Benz has commissioned a new plant to build the new generation of smaller vehicles in Hungary.

At the same time, it's unlikely the A and B-Class architecture will disappear entirely from the Benz line-up -- ironically thanks to architecture that makes higher volume multi-model production problematic.

Benz insiders confirm that the sandwich platform that underpins the current A and B is ideally suited to electric and fuel-cell powertrains. With a B-Class-based fuel-cell vehicle and an all-electric plug-in A-Class both in Mercedes-Benz product plans for the next two-four years, the existing architecture will almost certainly be redesignated and sell alongside the 'new' A and B-Class as zero-emission models.

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